CSC panel tackles tough issue of gender roles in church

Researchers from Abilene Christian University presented the results of a study measuring the change in church members’ opinions on gender roles Thursday morning at the Ezell Center as part of the Christian Scholars’ Conference.  The study occurred before and after various churches held classes examining the role of women in ministry. The researchers, Lynette Sharp Penya, Suzanne Macaluso and Amanda Rigby, intend for congregations to use these results to aid in church-wide conversations of gender roles. The presenters emphasized how determining where a church stands on this issue can also determine how fruitful or divisive the discussions may be. One of the churches in the study was unable to complete the study because of polarization on the issue revealed in the pretest survey, among other problems. In measuring the opinions of church members of various demographics, the researchers found that women consistently have more conservative views on the issue than men.The study also found that men are more likely to change their opinions after the classes than women. Following the presentation of the study, Don McLaughlin (in the photo above), the pulpit minister at one of the churches in the study, and Naomi Walters, the minister in residence at Stamford Church of Christ, discussed ways to face the often-painful process of congregations’ transitioning to more egalitarian worship practices. Confronting the discouragement among more progressive members about the rate of change in gender roles, McLaughlin, minister at North Atlanta Church of Christ, said that people of his generation should not be deterred in their work if results are not seen in their lifetime. God’s timing may have other plans. “You...

Christian Scholars’ Conference kicks off with Oscar-winning film

Lipscomb University will be hosting the Christian Scholars’ Conference June 6-8 where Christian Scholars will gather for lectures and discussions on Christianity. The conference will begin on Wednesday, June 4 and will continue through Friday, June 7. The first session will begin at 7 p.m. with a showing of 12 Years a Slave, the 2014 Academy Award winner of Best Picture. On Wednesday, there will be a Dean’s Conference from 7:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. At 4 p.m. registration will begin in Ezell Lobby followed by the showing of 12 Years a Slave in Ward Hall at 7 p.m. Each day after will begin with breakfast and worship followed by several different sessions led by some of the top Christian and Theological scholars. On Thursday, after registration, breakfast and worship, the first session will begin which will be 12 paper/panel discussions in various locations. This will be followed by The Inaugural Abraham J. Malherbe Plenary Address by Carl Holladay in Collins Alumni Auditorium. There will be a break for lunch, and then the second session will begin with a continuation of the paper/panel discussions in various locations. Following the discussions will be the Robert E. and Bonnie Cone Hooper Plenary Address in Collins Alumni Auditorium to be given by Phyllis Tickle. At 5 p.m. hors d’oeuvres will be served in Bison Square as a precursor to dinner at 5:30 to 7 and desert afterwards. The day will end with the world premier of John Updike’s Roger’s Version in Shamblin Theatre. On Friday after worship, paper/panel sessions three and four will be back to back. The third session features 13...

Campus Notes – June 13

Here are some newsworthy links making their way around campus this week. ACADEMICS Former council to President Nixon John Dean was recently a speaker at the Christian Scholars’ Conference. The Christian Scholars’ Conference also hosted many other noted speakers for its 2013 session. ADVANCE, Lipscomb’s freshmen orientation, is currently underway. The College of Business is hosting a competition that results in a full ride scholarship. ATHLETICS Here’s a rundown of what some athletes are up to over the summer. Have a bit of information that you would like to share with the Lipscomb community? Email us at luminationnetwork@gmail.com. Photo courtesy of...

2013’s Christian Scholars’ Conference set to kick off Thursday

From June 6-8, the 33rd annual Christian Scholars’ Conference will be held at various locations around Campus including Ward Lecture Hall, Collins Alumni Auditorium and Shamblin Theatre. More than 500 theologians hailing from almost 100 different universities will be participating in a total of 92 sessions. In 1981, Dr. Thomas H. Olbricht, professor at Pepperdine University, created the conference. Their mission is “to create and nurture an intellectual and Christian community that joins individuals and institutions to stimulate networks of scholarly dialogue and collaboration.” This years theme is “Crisis in Ethics: theology, business, law and the liberal and fine arts.” Featured guests include John Dean, former White House counsel to President Richard Nixon (and a major player Watergate scandal), Charles Mathewes, author of Theology of Public Life and Understanding Religious Ethics and David Miller, founding director of Princeton’s Faith and Work Initiative and former director of the Ethics and Spirituality in the Workplace Program of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture. The following Plenary addresses are free and open to the general public: June 8 from 10:45 – 12:00 PM in Collins Alumni Auditorium, John Dean’s “The Ethical Legacy of Watergate.” 6 from 10:45 – 12:00 PM in Collins Alumni Auditorium, Charles Mathewes’ “The Future of Political Theology.” June 7 from 4:15 – 5:15 PM in Acuff Theatre, David Miller’s “God at Work.” Another ticketed event, Blackbird Theater’s production of David Mamet’s Oleanna is open to the public as well. For more information on how to attend these and other panels, please visit the event’s main page. A full schedule is posted as well as registration prices. There is a pre-conference event, free to the public. On Wednesday, June 5 at 7:30...
‘Exposure’ shows ugly side of social media

‘Exposure’ shows ugly side of social media

The power of social media is all too evident to today’s teenagers. When technology abuse causes two girls to ruin each other, parents and school officials intervene, struggling to create peace and reconciliation. This reality is the center of “Exposure,” a play written, directed and performed by Lipscomb students. “I think it’s a play that speaks particularly to parents, and I hope parents in the audience are encouraged to be good parents, especially in a world that has changed a lot with social media and technology,” said Director Sawyer Wallace, a recent Lipscomb graduate. The play, written by senior Whitney Vaughn, a double major in theater and Law, Justice and Society, won the playwriting competition at last year’s Christian Scholars’ Conference. It was performed June 6-9 during the 2012 conference on campus. The Christian Scholars’ Conference annually brings together Christian scholars from various academic backgrounds “to develop their own academic research and to reflect on the integration of scholarship and faith.” As described in the play’s program, the work is “a riveting play about a high school guidance counselor’s attempt to reconcile two teenage girls who have used social media to destroy each other’s lives. It exposes the pervasive quality of social media and the damaging effects of poor parenting.” Vaughn, who is interning in Washington, D.C. with the Republican National Committee, said the idea for the play came last year when she was in Mike Fernandez’s playwriting class. Fernandez told the students to consider the big moments in their lives and find common denominators between the events. “The common denominator in all of the good and bad that I’ve been...